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The ancient Mayans had a group of expert astronomers. These were priests who dedicated
their lives to the study of all observable elements in the sky. The Mayan people strongly believed
that their fate was foretold by their gods through the movements of the celestial elements. This is
why they built their temples and other buildings in a way that would facilitate the observation of
the sky. Through keen observation, they were able to track and record the movements of the sun,
moon, and the stars constellations. Among the celestial discoveries according to the Dresden
Codex, one of the few surviving Mayan books, was the observations of planets such as Mars,
Mercury, and Venus. (Minster) According to the Popol Vuh, the Mayans believed that the
sun, the moon, and the stars had been living beings in a past existence. For example, the sun
and the moon represented the embodiment of the savior twins Hunahp and Ixbalanqu. The
book talks of an important character called Vucub Caquix who believed he represented the sun.
The stars represented four hundred boys that were killed by Zipacn, son of Vucub Caquix.
The sun is the closest star to the Earth, the biggest element, and the main source of energy
in the solar system. The sun is a big ball of hot gases. The gases are converted into energy in the
suns core. The energy moves outward through the interior layers into the suns atmosphere, and
is released into the solar system as heat and light. Most of the gas that makes up the sun is
hydrogen- about 72%. (Sharp) The moon is Earths only natural satellite but one of the largest
satellites in the Solar System. One of the strongest theories according to Nadia Drake in her
article for National Geographic Asteroids Bear Scars of Moons Violent Formation, the moon
was formed from debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body
called Theia. Both the sun and the moon were very important to the Mayans according to
the Popol Vuh because they believed they were once important living beings in a past
existence. The sun and the moon represented the embodiment of the savior twins Hunahp and
Ixbalanqu. Both of these characters are first mentioned in the sacred book of the Mayans The
Popol Vuh in Chapter V as the defeaters of the glory of the evil character Vucub-Caquix. (50)
These two demi gods were the central focus of most of the Mayans heroic tales and the base of
the mythical origin of the sun and the moon. Hunahp and Ixbalanqu were twin brothers
fanatics of the Mayan ball game, which is why according to The Popol Vuh on Chapter XIII
they are called upon the Xibalb, which was the Mayan equivalent of the underworld to play
against the Lords that ruled the underworld.(111) Here the twins face many challenges and tricks
from the evil Lords. But the twins apply their ingenious skills to defeat them and finally they
defeat the Lords and other evil beings of Xibalb. This is when they earn the glory that the
Mayans talked about in all of their tales and is what earned them a place in the sky. When they
aged and decided it was time to leave Earth they died and ascended into the sky where Hunahp
became the sun and Ixbalanqu became he moon. The book describes the moment as follows:
As fu su despedida, cuando ya haban vencido a todos los de Xibalb. Luego subieron
en medio de la luz y al instante se elevaron al cielo. Al uno le toc el sol y a l otro la luna.
Entonces se ilumin la bveda del cielo y la faz de la tierra. Y ellos moraron en el cielo.
This is one of the reasons why the Mayans dedicated their time to the observation of these two
celestial beings. They thought their heroes were up there still taking care of them and defeating
the evil forces of Xibalb. Christopher Minster, an expert in Latin American History wrote on his
article Ancient Maya Astronomy: Some of the Mayan dynasties claimed to be descended from
the sun. He also stated that the moon was nearly as important as the Sun for them. The Mayans
observed these celestial elements carefully and were able to predict solar and moon phenomena
such as the phases of the moon, eclipses, and equinoxes. This is why they adored and offered
tributes to the sun and the moon. They thought that praising the two twin gods and keeping them
happy would bring them blessings. The sun and the moon, represented by the twin brothers were
one of the most important elements for the Mayan Quiche people due to the great importance it
had to them for their daily affairs and to the symbolism they had acquired through the myth they
believed to be true.
The sun and the moon were the ultimate representations of power to the Mayan people.
Many man thought they were descendants of the Ambition is a type of vanity, it is aiming at
something beyond its powers. (Hunter279) Many men throughout history have been victims of
their own ego and sense of greatness. John Hunter says No man ever was a great man who
wanted to be one. (279) Wanting to be great without any power is just another form of vanity.
Many men tried to conquer the world and their ambition and vanity led them to self-destruction,
defeat, and probably death. Examples of this can be Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. They
both wanted to be great, to have the world at their mercy and their great ego played a big part on
their defeat. In every culture there is a character that reflects how ambition and vanity and
become the ruin of men. The Mayan culture is no exception and there is a clear example of it on
one of the stories from their sacred book. According to The Popol Vuh the sun and the moon
was once represented by a deity. The book talks of an important character called Vucub Caquix
who believed he represented the sun and the moon. Vucub Caquix was believed to be a powerful
bird demon pretending to be the sun and the moon. This part of the Mayan history happens after
the first creations and before the present one. His name meant Seven Macaws and allegedly had
the appearance of a violent looking scarlet Macaw with large wings. The book refers to a time
where the earth and sky already existed but there was no sun or moon to bring light. This is why
Vucub Caquix assumed greatness since his eyes, teeth, nose, and face lighted upon everything he
Yo ser grande ahora sobre todos los seres creados y formados. Yo soy el sol, soy la
hombres. Porque de plata son mis ojos, resplandecientes como piedras preciosas, como
esmeraldas; mis dientes brillan como piedras finas, semejantes a la faz del cielo. Mi nariz
brilla de lejos como la luna, mi trono es de plata y la faz de la tierra se ilumina cuando
As pues soy, yo soy el sol, yo soy la luna, para el linaje humano. As ser porque mi
The hero twins Ixbalanqu and Hunahp were very angry because of the vanity of Vucub
Caquix, since to them only the creators Tepeu and Gucumatz were to be great and exalted. This
is why they plan to kill Vucub Caquix. The twins first attacked by hiding on Vucub Caquixs
favorite tree and shoot him with a blow gun and a poisoned arrow and manage to break his jaw.
Vucub Caquix ripped Hunahps arm off and escaped. Their next attempt, they convince an old
couple to pretend to be physicians and they would be their grandchildren. From his great pain,
Vucub Caquix agrees to take off his giant emerald teeth, and replaced them with white corn
kernels; they also extracted out his eyes. Vucub Caquix lost all his glory when he lost his shiny
and bright jewelry and it is presumed he died shortly after. Ego and ambition were the defeat of
The sun and the moon are not the only elements that brighten the night sky. The stars
have been present in the night sky ever since humanity can remember. The stars are balls of
hydrogen and helium with enough mass that it can sustain nuclear fusion at its core. (Cain) Like
the planets, the stars move across the heaven but unlike the planets, they stay in the same
position, unmovable. Constellations are named patterns of stars. All societies created them.
(Kaler). Pleiades is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the
constellation of Taurus. (Schomp 55) The Pleiades stars system is also referred to as the Seven
Sisters because seven of its stars are visible to the naked eye. But in reality, this star cluster
J.J. Hurtak, an esoteric author, states that Pleiades was considered to be the other Sun of
our Solar System the Sun beyond the Sun which is an old belie found in many
cultures. One of the Mayan names for Pleiades was the 400 boys, at a time when
telescopes able to see the 400 stars were not yet invented. (Gray)
To the Mayans the mythological aspect the stars were not as important as important the sun and
the moon but they were of most importance to them as a guide to their daily and future activities.
They could predict the seasons and this would help them with the agricultural planning. The stars
had more practical use than the sun and the moon. According to the Popol Vuh, the Mayans
believed that the stars were once living beings. The stars represented four hundred boys that
were killed by Zipacn, son of Vucub Caquix. In chapter seven of The Popol Vuh, Zipacn is
mentioned as the creator of the mounts. (p.57) Zipacn is a character that possess supernatural
strength. Zipacn was taking a bath in a river when four hundred boys went by dragging a big
tree to support their home. When the book mentions four hundred boys, it does not mean it
literally, it is just a collective noun used back then to mean a lot of boys; these boys were the
gods of alcohol and drunkenness. Zipacn offered his help to the boys to carry the tree to their
home. Alarmed by Zipacns strength the boys decide to kill him before he can harm them.
(Schomp p.55) Their plan was to dig a hole and lure Zipacn into it so that they could then throw
the big trunk of the tree on him. But Zipacn proved that he was smarter because once he was in
the hole he dug his way out through another way. They believed they had trapped Zipacn and
threw the tree at him and left him for dead. After this happened they decided to make and drink
their alcoholic beverages and when they were drunk Zipacn let the house fall on top of their
heads and ended up killing them all. The boys are not mentioned again until the heroic twins
Hunahp and Ixbalanqu die and transform into the moon and the sun. Then, The Popol Vuh
mentions the following about the stars: Entonces subieron tambin los cuatrocientos muchahos
estrellas del cielo. (142) It is said that the group of stars that were once the boys became a group
In conclusion, science has proven countless times that celestial elements are mostly made
of gases or rock. Nevertheless the Mayans portrayed the origin of these elements in a much more
idyllic way. According to the Popol Vuh, the Mayans believed that the sun, the moon, and
the stars had been living beings in a past existence. For example, the sun and the moon
represented the embodiment of the savior twins Hunahp and Ixbalanqu. The book talks of an
important character called Vucub Caquix who believed he represented the sun. The stars
represented four hundred boys that were killed by Zipacn, son of Vucub Caquix. The sun, the
moon, and the stars had an important meaning for the Mayans due to the stories behind them.
They idolized these celestial elements so much that some even wanted to be them. The Popol
Vuh mentions these elements many times and in every moment it is to strengthen their beliefs
that their lives and happiness depended upon the will of the gods that these elements represented.
This literary work of art is a representation of all the ancient Mayans beliefs about the origin of
Anonymous. El Popol Vuh: Las Antiguas Historias del Quich. Trans. Adrin
Drake, Nadia. "Asteroids Bear Scars of Moon's Violent Formation." National Geographic 16
asteroids-scars-moon-formation-space/>
Cain, Fraser. "What is a Star?" Universe Today 29 Jan 2009. 23 Nov. 2015
<http://www.universetoday.com/24351/what-is-a-star/ >
Sharp, Tim. "What is the Sun Made of?" Space.com 17 Aug. 2012. 23 Nov. 2015
<http://www.space.com/17170-what-is-the-sun-made-of.html>
Minster, Christopher. "Ancient Maya Astronomy." About Education 2004. 24 Nov. 2015
<http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/ancientlatinamerica/p/Ancient-Maya-
Astronomy.htm >
Schomp, Virginia. The Ancient Maya: Myths of the World Series. New York, 2009. 25 Nov.
2015 https://books.google.hn/books?id=UsCGRAudDoUC&printsec=/
frontcover&hl=es#v=onepage&q&f=false>
Hunter, Keith M. Mayan Astronomy & Mythology A Popol Vuh Story Decoded: Zipacna &
the 400 Boys. Ancient World Mysteries 2012. 25 Nov. 2015 <http://www.ancient-
world-mysteries.com/mayan-Astronomy-Mythology-popol-vuh.html>
Gray, Holly. The Pleiades and the Andean Mystery Teachings. Edge Magazine 1 Aug. 2013.
teachings/>
Hunter, John. Essays and Observations on Natural History, Anatomy, Physiology, Psychology
AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=es#v=onepage&q&f=false>
Book Recommendations
McKillop, Heather. The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. New York: Norton, 2004.